Tracking device



J. W. BARNES.

TRACKING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 13, 19I6.

1 28,260, Patented Jan. 20, 1920.

STATES PATENT QFFICE.

JAMES w. BARNES, on NEW "YORK, 1v. essieivon T0 ns'rnv PIANO 00., on NEW year, n. Y.

TRACKING DEVICE.

Application filed January 13. 1916.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES l/V. BARNES, a citizen of the United States, residing at the Bronx, in the county of Bronx and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tracking Devices, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

This invention relates to player pianos, and more particularly to improved mechanism for effecting proper registry of a music sheet during its travel over a tracker bar from adelivery spool to a take-up spool.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a reliable and sensitive mechanism whereby the music sheet, during play, is guided to insure the registry of its perforations with the corresponding openings of the tracker bar.

Another object is to provide a mechanism of the character mentioned which is selfacting in that no pneumatic or other auxiliary power is employed to correct sheet deviations from normal.

It is a further object to provide a simple and desirable construction wherein a music sheet may be utilized as the connection be tween the tracker bar and delivery and takeup spools which both initiates and effects the relative endwise shifting of the parts to maintain registry of the sheet over the tracker and to eliminate liability of the sheet to buckle or skew in its travel.

Other objects and advantages will be in part obvious and in part noted hereinafter in connection with the following description of the accompanying drawing which illustrates a typical preferred embodiment of the invention, and in Which Figure l is a perspective view, with certain parts broken away for clearness, of the roll box of a player piano embodying the invention Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail of a part of the tracker bar with a sheet edge guide mounted thereon: and

3 is an end view of parts shown in Fig. 2, indicating their assembly.

It is customary in player pianos to provide a roll box having a tracker bar and spool supports arranged so that a perforated music sheet travels from a delivery spool Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented J an. 20, 1920.

Serial No. 71.900.

over the tracker bar to a take-up spool, during play, and travels reversely duringrewinding. Transmission mechanism is as sociated to effect drive of the spools selectively for the purpose mentioned. In the present instance there is provided a roll box 3 having fixedly secured across the fore part a tracker bar 4 with openings communicating with pneumatics in a well-known manner. In the upper part of the box is a horizontally disposed delivery-spool 5, and in vertical alinement therebelow, is a take-up spool 6 which receives the music sheet 7 The spools 5, 6 and tracker bar 4- are arranged in horizontal parallelism.

A guiding mechanism is associated with the tracker to center the music sheet in its travel, and in the preferred form this mechanism comprises a pair of U-shaped elements 10 and 11 pivotally mounted adjacent the ends of the tracker bar to present flat faces for contacting with the edges of the music sheet, and preferably set in grooves 67 of the tracker. The guides 10 and 11 may be provided with pintles 12 and 13 which take into recesses therefor in rectangular blocks 14 fixed to the rear face of the tracker. A desirable mounting of each block 14: is by a headed screw bolt 16 which passes through a horizontally elongated slot 1.5 in the block and takes into the bar 4., the slot 15 permitting lateral adjustment to position the guides accurately for accommodat ng the music sheet. The blocks may be further p ovided with sharp pins 1 1, 1 1" which bite into the rear of the tracker bar when bolt 16 is tightened to maintain rigidity of the parts in proper assembly.

The guides 10 and 11 are mounted, as described. for pivotal movement and are interconnected in a manner whereby their move- There is provided a leaf spring 23 fixed to the roll box and bearing against a button 22 fixed on rod 21 without the roll box, so that the button is normally urged against the Wall 3 by the spring and the guides 10 and 11 are maintained in a position at substantially right angles to the tracker bar, though yieldable apart when either is repressed by the edge of the music sheet, if the latter deviates'in its travel from centered position.

The delivery spool 5 and the take-up spool 6 are disposed in parallelism to the tracker bar and are supported by means whichpermits their free endwise movement in either direction from centered position,. whlle, however, maintaining the parallellsm mentioned. As shown in the drawing, shafts 32 and 83 of the delivery and take-up spools, respectively, are rotatably supported in vertical plates or bearings 30 (at the righthand end) and 81 (leftiand end), the shafts and plate bearings being held against relative movement by collars 34 on the shaits at the sides of the plates. The plates 30 and 31 are suspended by fixed attachment to horizontal hangers 2d and 24, in turn pivoted at their ends between pintles 27 at the lower ends of vertically disposed members and 26, the latter also having pintles 28 at their upper ends by which they pivotally hang from blocks 29 rigidly fastened to the outer surfaces of the walls 3 of the roll box. The members 25 and 26 are spaced somewhat from the walls 3 and the'bearing plates 30 and 31 are farther spaced from the blocks 29 as indicated, whereby clearance is provided so that the plates are capable of bodily movement horizontally. In such movement, however, the plates are maintained vertical by the rigid connection of a rod 68 with rearwardly extending arms 69 and 70.

i The connection between plates 30, 31' and the members 2 2 and 24, respectively, is adjacent the shaft 32 of the delivery spool 5 so that the center of mass of the delivery and take-up spools is considerably below the point of their pivotal-suspension at 28 with the roll box, and as a result the spools are constantly urged by gravity to a central nor mal position. At the same time it is to be noted that the .spools are free to move endwise in either direction without disturbing their parallelism to the tracker bar r to each other, and further, that the movement of either spool is attended by an equal movement in the same direction of the other spool. 7

Power transmission mechanism is also mounted at the right-hand end of the roll box and includes means whereby either of the spools may be driven at will from the pneumatic or other source of power employed. In the embodiment shown a supporting bracket is disposed at the righthand end of the roll box and provided with inturned upper and lower ends fixed thereto. Shafts a2 and 43 for driving the delivery and take-up spools, respectively, are journaled between the bracket and a spaced plate 63 secured'to the bracket by upper and lower posts. The shafts 42 and 43 are clutched to the shafts 32 and 33, respectively, by means of right angled cranks on the latter, having pins received in slots 4L1 of corresponding right angled cranks on the shafts &2, a3, so that the efiectiveness of their connection for rotary power transmission is maintained despite endwise movement of the delivery and takeup spools. Extending through plate 63' is the primary driving shaft 4A having a loose gear e5 eon nected by a chain or other vise with a pinion 56 on shaft 42 and having a loose pinion in mesh with a gear 53 on shaft 43. On the shaft 44 there is alsofsplined a sliding clutch element e8 having a lug 47 adapted to engage a lug 46 on gear for clutching the latter to the driving shaft during rewinding on spool 5. There is also a corresponding connection between the sliding clutch member when moved in the other direction and pinion 52 for connecting the driving shaft with the take-up spool 6 during play. Movement of the clutch is controlled by a manually operable lever 50 pivoted at 51 and having a rearward lug a9 disposed in a groove of the sliding clutchelement 48.

In order to restrain the delivery spool and maintain the music sheet taut in its travel durlng play, a brake 61 is spring pressed against the face of a wheel 62 keyed on shaft d2. Brake 61 is normally pressed downward by a leaf spring 62 secured to the rear thereof and pressing against the under face of the overturned end 63 of plate 63, the brake 61 being supported pivotally at its rear end from a bracket arm 64 fastened to the plate. For a similar purpose during rewinding a brake 56 is mounted on a resilient strip 57 attached to an arm pivotally supported 5'8 and connected at its lower end 59 by a rod 60 to the clutch controller arm 50. The dimension and arrangement of these parts is such that, with the arm 50 moved to clutch together driving shaft 4% and the shaft 42, the upper extremity of the lever 50 engages and represses the brake 61 while the lower end of said lever, through rod 60, swings brake 56 against the face of gear 53. Conversely, clutching of the driving shaft with shaft 43 releases brake 56 and engages brake 61, so that when the drive of either spool is established, rotation of the other is frictionally opposed to keep the music sheet taut over the tracker bar.

In the operation of playing, the power drive 15 connected with the take-up spool 6 and the music sheet 7 travels from the delivery spool 5 over the tracker bar 4.- and on to the spool 6. The parts are so arranged 1101- mally that the music sheet is centered on the tracker bar, whereby its perforations register with the corresponding openings of the latter. In continued play, lateral deviations of the musicsheet in either direction (arising from displacement on the spool 5 or other cause) results in a repression of the corresponding edge guide 10 or 11, which in turn, by the resiliency of spring 23, tends to restore the music sheet to registry. As the sheet is traveling longitudinally the yieldable pressure of the edge guide thereon quickly effects a restoration of the sheet to center, and since the sheet is taut, its restoring movement is transmitted therethrough to the freely suspended delivery and take-up spools. There is consequently a bodily endwise shift of the spools to maintain the instant portions of the music sheet leaving spool 5, traversing 'bar 1, and reaching spool 6 in parallelism and in vertical alinement, withthe sheet again centered on the tracker bar. sheet in the opposite direction represses the other edge guide and registry is restored in a similar manner. It will be understood, of course, that the normal deviations of the music sheet are slight and the range of movement of the guides 10 and 11 and of the delivery and take-up spools is relatively narrow. At the same time the construction described functions continuously and is sensitive. Since, also, the take-up spool 6 movesin unison endwise with the delivery spool, there is no tendency for the music sheet to buckle in its travel.

During rewinding of the music sheet on the delivery spool the edge guides 10 and 11 are separated by rod 21 and the edges of the music sheet thus freed to reduce frictional wear thereon in the rapid passage over the tracker bar. This separation is effected by a rear lug 65 on clutch lever 50 which abuts an ofiset end 66 on rod 21 and moves the latter against the action of spring 23 when wind-up drive of the delivery spool is established.

As many changes could be made in the above construction and many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all mat ter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In mechanism of the character described, in combination, delivery and takeup spools, supporting means whereby said spools are free to swing endwise in unison, a fixed tracker bar, and means to act on a music sheet for guiding'the same in proper Subsequent deviation of the registry with said tracker bar during its travel thereover.

2. In mechanism of the character described, in combination, vertically alined delivery and take-up spools, supporting means whereby said spools are free to swing enclwise in unison in either direction, a fixed tracker bar, and means to act on a music sheet adjacent said tracker bar for maintaining the sheet in proper registry during its travel over said tracker bar.

3. In mechanism of the character described, in combination, vertically alined delivery and take-up spools, supporting means whereby said spools are pivotally suspended in a center position and are free to swing endwise in unison in either direction, a fixed tracker bar having openings, and means adapted to act on a perforated music sheet for guiding the same over said tracker bar with the sheet perforations in registry with said openings.

4. In mechanism of the character described, in combination, a delivery spool, a take-up spool therebelow, supporting means for suspending said spools in an intermedi ate position and permitting free endwise movement thereof in unison, a fixed tracker bar, and means to engage a music sheet adjacent said tracker bar and maintain said sheet in proper registry during its travel thereover.

5. In mechanism of the character described, in combination, vertically alined delivery and take-up spools, supporting means therefor whereby said spools are free to move endwise together in either direction, a fixed tracker bar, and means on said tracker bar to maintain a music sheet centered in its travel thereover.

6. In mechanism of the character described, in combination, delivery and takeup spools, means to support said spools in vertical alinement and permit thelr free endwise movement together, a fixed tracker bar, and means to yieldably engage the edges of a music sheet adjacent said tracker bar for maintaining the sheet centered in its travel thereover.

7. In mechanism of the character described, in combination, delivery and takeup spools, supporting means for suspending said spools in an intermediate position and permitting free swinging thereof endwise in unison, a fixed tracker bar, and spring pressed guides on said tracker bar to engage the edges of a music sheet and center the same in its travel over said tracker bar.

8. 'In mechanism of the character described, in combination, a fixed tracker bar, means to engage a music sheetadjacent said tracker bar and maintain the sheet in proper registry during its travel thereover, and delivery and takenp spools mounted in vertical alinement and free to move endwise in unison for maintaining in vertical alinement the lnstant portions of the muslc sheet leaving said delivery spool and reaching said takeup spool.

9. In mechanism of the character described, in combination, a fixed tracker bar,

.the music sheet leaving said delivery spool and reaching said take-up spool.

10. In mechanism of the character described, in combination, a fixed tracker bar, spring pressed guides thereon to engage the edges oi music sheet and maintain the same in proper registry during its travel thereover, delivery and take-up spools, and supporting means for pivotally suspending said spools in an intermediate position and permitting free swinging movement thereof endwise in unison.

11. In mechanism of the character described, in combination, delivery and takeup spools one above the other, means for pivotally supporting said spools above the center of gravity thereof by an arrangement which permits free endwise movement of said spools in unison from intermediate pendant position, a tracker bar, and means tending to hold a music sheet in proper registry during its movement over said tracker bar whereby lateral deviations of the music sheet from centered position on the delivery spool cause compensating endwise movement of said spools.

12. In mechanism of the character described, in combination, a delivery spool, a take-up spool therebelow, bearings for the ends of said spools, means for supporting said bearings and permitting free endwise movement of said spools together in parallelism, a tracker bar, and guiding means to maintain a music sheet centered in its travel over said tracker bar.

18. In mechanism of the character described, in combination, a delivery spool, a take-up spool, said spools having their axes of rotation in parallelism, supporting means whereby said spools are free to move endwise together in either direction withtheir axes of rotation maintained in parallelism, a fixed tracker bar, and guides on said tracker bar to center a music sheet in its travel thereover whereby said spools are free to move endwise to compensate for deviation in the music sheet from centered position on said delivery spool.

14. In mechanism of the character described, in combination, a delivery spool, a take-up spool, means for supporting said spools in normal pendant position and for permitting their .free endwise swinging in either direction, a fixed tracker bar, and guides on said tracker bar to center a music sheet in its travel thereover.

15. In mechanism of the character described, in combination, a delivery spool, a fixed tracker bar, said tracker bar and the axis of rotation of said spool being disposed in horizontal parallelism, means to support said spool for free endwise movement, and a music sheet for delivery from said spool and travel over said tracker bar to move said spool endwise for maintaining the instant portions of such sheet leaving said spool and traveling over said tracker bar in vertical alinement.

16. In mechanism of the character de scribed, in combination, a delivery spool, a tracker bar, one of said elements being freely movable endwise in parallelism with the other, and a music sheet for delivery from said spool and travel over said tracker bar,

said elements being otherwise unconnected and said sheet acting to move said movable element for insuring proper registry of said sheet in its travel over said tracker bar.

17. In mechanism of the character de scribed, in combination, delivery and takeup spools, a tracker bar, supporting means for said spools to permit free endwise movement thereof in parallelism with each other and with said tracker bar, and a music sheet for delivery fromsaid delivery spool and travel over said tracker bar to said take up spool, said tracker bar and said spools being otherwise unconnected, and said sheet acting to move said spools for maintaining the instant portions of said sheet leaving said delivery spool and traversing said tracker bar and reaching said take-up spool in vertical alinement.

18. In mechanism of the character described, in combination, a delivery spool, a take-up spool, means for supporting said spools whereby free endwise movement thereof is permitted in parallelism, means for driving said spools selectively, means-to brake the non-driven spool to maintain the music sheet taut in its travel from one to the other, a fixed tracker bar, and means to act on the edges of the music sheet adjacentsaid tracker bar for maintainingthe sheet in centered position during its travel thereover.

19. In mechanism of the character described. in combination. a delivery spool. a take-up spool, means for supportin said spools whereby tree endwise movement thereof is permitted in parallelism. means for driving said spools selectively, means to brake the non-driven spool to maintain the music sheet taut in its travel from one to the other. means to free either spool from the braking means when said spool is driven. a fixed tracker bar. and means to act on the edgesof the music sheet adjacent said tracker bar for maintaining the sheet in centered powith said tracker bar, said supporting means sition during its travel thereover. also maintaining said spools in parallelism to 20. In a mechanism of the character deeach other and to said tracker bar. scribed, in combination, a tracker bar, de- In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my 5 livery and take-up spools, and supporting signature in the presence of two Witnesses. 15

means for said spools comprising means JAMES W BARNES whereby the same are movable endWise together and are normally urged to a center Witnesses:

position wherein a music sheet traveling J. R. A. LANG, 10 from one spool to the otheris registered J. E. ESTEY. 

